Coin-controlled apparatus.



S. R. BBAL 8: J. D. GRANDELL.

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

IMNTURE.

WZ'TNE'EEES.

ma /aw INI Mom": pzrrn: cm. wAsymaruu D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL R. IBEAI: AND' JAMES D. CRANDELL, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORSTO ADRIAN NOVELTY (30., 0F ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL R. BEAL and JAMES D. ORANDELL, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Adrian, in the county of Lenawee andState of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Coin-Controlled Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Our invention relates to coin controlled apparatus and has particularreference to machines of the class adapted for the vending of packagegoods, but is not restricted to such use as it may be used in anyconnection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of our invention is the provision of an improved apparatus ofthis class which is simple, light and strong in its construction,inexpensive to manufacture, and easy, accurate and efficient in itsoperation, and in which the deposited coin acts in conjunction withparts of the mechanism to move the package carrying parts.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and apreferred embodiment of the same illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine embodying the invention with aportion of the end casing broken away, and with the operative parts innormal position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof with the frontcasing removed, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the coincontrol mechanism with parts removed and in section.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a cylindrical casing having thesupporting base portion 2. J ournaled in the ends 3 of the casing 1 arethe opposite ends of a shaft 4, which is shown in the present instanceas having both a coin carrying wheel 5 and a package or article carryingand delivering wheel 6 mounted thereon to turn in unison.

The coin-wheel 5 is provided with a plurality of successively arrangedperipheral pockets 7 into which coins drop and are carried with theirouter edges projecting beyond the periphery of the wheel and their axesin substantial parallelism with the shaft 4:, as shown. A simple form ofcoin carrying wheel consists in mounting two disks 5 on the shaft 4: insuitably spaced relation to permit a coin of the desired denomination tofreely pass flatwise therebetween, and then connecting the outerperipheral portions of the disks at suitable intervals with unitingmeans 5 which serve to space the disks and to cooperate therewith toform the pockets 7 and limit the inward movements of the coins therein.

A lever 8 is fulcrumed on the shaft 4 at one side of the wheel 5 foroscillatory movements relative thereto and has its upper end providedwith a lateral extension or lip 9 which works over the periphery of suchwheel in close relation thereto. A rod 10 projects laterally from thelower end of the lever 8 through a se mental slot 11, in the casing endand provides a handle which maybe moved laterally within the slot toswing the lever from the inoperative position in which it is normallyheld by the contraction spring 12, which spring attaches at one end tothelever and at its other end to a point on the casing, as at 13, Fig.3.

Coins are delivered to the pockets in the top of the wheel 5 through achute 14-, leading from a point without the casing 1. Upon thedepositing of a coin 15 in the chute 14 the operator pushes the handle10 to the rear thus throwing the lip 9 at the upper end of the leverforward into engagement with the projecting edge of the coin, and uponthe continued forward movement of such lip, acts through the coin uponthe wheel to force it ahead a predetermined distance to place the nextpocket 7 into register with the chute.

16 designates a guard plate, which is provided around the forwardportion of the wheel 5 to prevent the coins from leaving the wheelpockets until in position to drop into the delivery-chute 17 by whichthey are delivered to a suitable receptacle 18. The chute 17 issupported by a standard or frame part 19.

Beneath the wheel 5 is disposed a standard 20 to which a spring-pressedfinger or detent 21 is pivoted. This finger has its upper end fashionedto engage into each coin pocket 7 of the wheel as it moves into registertherewith and to yieldingly act thereon to prevent free movements of thewheel. A spring 22 acts on the tail-piece of the finger to yieldinglyretain it in engagement with the wheel. Vhen the finger 21 is out oflocking engagement with the wheel 5 its tail-piece is disposed inposition to be engaged by the inner projected end 10 of the handle rod.

10 adjacent the limit of its rearward stroke,- thus providing means forpositively moving the finger 21 into engagement with a registering wheelpocket 7 should the spring fail to act.

The package or article carrying wheel 6 is shown in the present instanceas comprising a plurality of peripheral pockets 23 into which thepackages or articles to be vended may be positioned. The pockets 28correspond in number and spacing to the pockets 7 of thecoin-wheel 5,whereby each intermittent movement of the coin wheel moves the wheel 6to successively place the pockets 23 into package discharging position,as is apparent. The cylindrical casing 1 closely embraces the wheel 6,except at the bottom thereof, to prevent the packages from leaving thepockets 23 until each reaches discharging position. I

To prevent a package from prematurely dropping from a pocket 23 or untila pocket has been moved to full discharging position and also to requirethe lever 8 to be swung the full extent of its movement at eachoperation, a plate 24 is pivotally mounted beneath thewheel 6immediately to the rear of a pocket of such wheel when in dischar ingposition, such plate being pivotally carried by a pivot rod 25 mountedbeneath the wheel as shown. A portion of the plate 24 extends above therod 25 within the pocket 28 which is immediately to the rear of thepocket which has last discharged its package, and upon a rotary movementof the wheel the forward partition of the pocket into which the plateextends passes over and rocks such plate and throws the lower por-' tionthereof into position to close the discharge passage from the wheel.Immediately prior to the wheel 6 reaching the limit of its partialmovement the partition engaging the plate 24 passes from engagementtherewith and permits the plate to swing by gravity to its normal openposition, as indicated.

In the use of our improved machine the operator drops a coin into thecoin chute, which chute delivers it to a registering pocket 7 of thecoin wheel 5. The operator then pushes the handle 10 to the limit of itsrearward movement within the slot 11 thus I causing the lip 9 at theupper end of the lever 8 to move into contact with the deposited coinand to communicate a prede-' termined movement to the coin wheel 5throughthe medium of such coin, said movewheel to revolve therewith andeach intermittent movement of the coin wheel. moves the succeedingpockets 23 into package-discharging position. As each partition of thepackage wheel-thus moves over the plate 24: such plate is oscillated andremains in pocket closing position until the wheel has movedsubstantially the width of a pocket when the partition. inengagementwith the plate passes therefrom and permits the plate toreturn by gravity to its normal pendent position.

It is apparent from the above description and from the drawings that wehave provided a simple and efficient form of coin control apparatus inwhich a deposited coin cooperates with the operating lever to actuatethe movements of the coin wheel and associated parts, and also that apackage will not be delivered from the package carrying wheel exceptupon a full stroke of the operating lever.

e wish it understood that our invention is not limited to any specificconstruction or arrangement of parts except in so far as suchlimitations are specified in the claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

In a coin controlled apparatus, the combination of a coin wheel havingperipheral pockets therein, a spring pressed member yieldingly coaotingwith such pockets to resist a rotation of the wheel, a lever forcoaoting with the coin carried by the wheel for imparting rotationthereto, said lever being adapted to coact with said member at apredetermined point in the movement thereof to positively force suchmember into engagement with a registering wheel pocket.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names to thisspecification in the presence of two subscrlblng witnesses.

SAMUEL R. BEAL. JAMES D. CRANDELL.

Witnesses:

C. W. OWEN, E. E. THOMAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O.

